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Saturday, February 18, 2012

Work on the Morning and Evening Prayers document has been completed. The document gives domestic daily prayers in Latin and English, from sources approved in Sept. 2008 in the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia for Orthodox Christians of the Western Rite. It has been made available for free download on the internet:

Drawn from source manuscripts of British Isles origin, the prayers show a mixture that was achieved historically when the Celtic traditions in the Isles met with the Roman traditions brought in by the great missionary saint, Augustine of Canterbury.

In Anglo-Saxon England, it was very common in books of domestic (extra-liturgical) prayers to show Celtic prayers and Roman or Gregorian prayers, side-by-side. The spirit of the prayers was felt, it would seem, to be one, and so both traditions were easily and naturally drawn upon for the private devotions of the Anglo-Saxon Christians in the centuries before the Norman invasion. These devotions and prayers were maintained, preserved, and used in daily life long after the Norman invasion as well.

The morning and evening prayers are drawn from three important sources: the Book of Cerne, the Ancren Riwle or Hermitess' Rule, and the printed Sarum Primer. They appeared in an initial edition in "Orthodox Prayers of Old England" (Third Edition 1999), which remains in stock but will one day be replaced by a fourth edition to be produced under the authority of the Russian Church Abroad. Perhaps the fourth edition can be published by Jordanville, or by the St. Nicholas Monastery in Ft. Myers, Florida.

From Father Anthony (Bondi), Pastoral Vicar to the Metropolitan for Western Rite:

"This morning at 10am [Friday, February 17, 2012 - Ed.] His Grace Bishop Jerome of Manhattan ordained Fr Deacon Steven Tolbert a priest at St Ambrose of Milan Orthodox Church in Putnam Valley, New York in the Western Rite. Fr Steven will be assigned as the Rector of St Brigit of Ireland Orthodox Church, South Claremore, OK. He and his family will take up residence there after Pascha. Of note: Fr Steven is the first priest ordained from minor orders up through the priesthood using the ancient Roman Rite. May God grant him many years!"